Lyft surpasses 5,000 self-driving rides with Aptiv fleet

Lyft has completed more than 5,000 self-driving rides through its ride-hailing app, the company said, as it aims to become a serious competitor in autonomous driving while its biggest rival, Uber, retrenches. Lyft launched its self-driving service in January in Las Vegas, where passengers can take a ride in an autonomous BMW to and from some 20 different pick-up and destination spots around the city's casino-laden Strip. The autonomous driving system is not built by Lyft, however, but by high-tech auto-parts supplier Aptiv Plc, which Lyft partnered with earlier this year. When you first get in, it's not all that different from getting into a typical Lyft, as someone is sitting in the driver's seat. But, the backup driver keeps their hands off the wheel except in situations where it's required they take over.